April 2007 Archives

- The hilarity that is Josie. The kid really is a little clown. She keeps us laughing all the time. Unfortunately, Maddie isn't taking well to the fact that Josie is getting all the attention. She's been a little clingy lately. I've been trying to give her a little extra love and attention and I'm hoping that she'll start to feel a little more secure soon. She really thrives on her alone time with me. Josie has given up her nap so finding alone time with Maddie is proving to be much harder. I'm still figuring out a way that I can give each one some attention without causing jealousy in the other one. Any suggestions?

- Beautiful weather. It's been in the 70s all week. That's the perfect temp for me. I dread the coming weeks when summer finally kicks in. I hate when it's so hot that we don't even go outside. However, the lower temps have been deceiving and the girls and I have already gotten sunburned.

- Fewer mosquitoes. On the suggestion of our neighbor (who actually works for Orkin) we invested in the Mosquito Control Service. I was skeptical, but considering how bad they were last summer, I thought it couldn't hurt to try. Already, I've noticed a difference. I've only seen 2 mosquitoes in the past few weeks. You have no idea how amazing that is. This time last year we were banned from our backyard because of the little pests. It's great to actually let the girls play in the backyard on their slide.

- Attending the ballet recital of Maddie's best friend Grace. It was adorable to see Maddie watching her friend up on stage. She couldn't stop clapping when it ended. Afterwards, they held hands and danced together while other dancers performed on stage. I hope with all of my heart that their friendship lasts, or at least that they'll remember each other as they get older. The girls have known each other since they were about 4 months old. I have pictures of the two of them lying on the floor, side by side, long before they could even roll over or crawl. I even watched Grace during the day for a few months while my friend Carolyn finished the school year where she taught. Unlike any of Maddie's other playgroup friends, Maddie and Grace have NEVER fought over anything. Not over toys or food or games or anything. They have always played together peacefully. Those two just have a connection that is so sweet to watch. They're opposites in many ways too, so perhaps they complete each other.

- The blooming flowers in our front yard. I was pleasantly surprised to find the climbing rose bush I planted two years ago is in bloom. Bill pointed it out to me when he got home today. It actually has some adorable little pink tea roses. Yay for my green thumb (which until now I thought was falling off!) The clematis I planted around our mailbox is going to sprout large purple flowers any day now. The gardenia bushes by our porch have little buds, as well as the jasmine bushes by the front door. Aaaaaaaahhhhh Spring is here!

It's been a while but I finally feel like posting again. Occasionally I just feel apathetic towards this site and decide to take an extended period of time off from posting. Luckily, I then come back with a vengeance.

Riding "Red" with my sister's and brother-in-law's help.

- A really great Easter Sunday with beautiful weather (not too hot or too cold). The girls are both old enough now to participate in an egg hunt and they had SO much fun. We went out to my mom's place, which is out in the country with lots of land. She has a few neighbors with farms too. The girls got to see chickens and the eggs they laid, and they got the chance to go horseback riding. They love visiting Nana's house and seeing all the animals. We also spotted a few calves and puppies. The Easter egg hunt was fun too. They found lots of eggs and were delighted with the "prize" eggs. Best of all, though? The real decorated eggs they found. Did I mention that my kids LOVE boiled eggs? Josie ate three in a row and I'm not sure how many Maddie ingested.

- NOT getting poison ivy. As many of you know from this, I am extremely allergic to poison ivy. Well, my sister's mother-in-law suggested that I hide one of the eggs in a tree. She pointed to a branch and I tried, but the egg kept falling out, sooooooo... I tried to place it in the vine right next to that branch. At this point she said very calmly, "You know that's poison oak, right?" Aaaaaack! I ran inside the house and didn't touch anything with that hand until I'd washed it thoroughly. Like I said, I didn't get poison ivy, so I'm very thankful.

- Feeling better. I no longer feel pain in the incision from my surgery any more and I'm back to normal, lifting the girls and otherwise. I finally got the green light from my doctor as well, so I am officially back to normal. Well, at least health-wise.

- The fact that "pollen week" in Atlanta is finally over. See this?

All of that yellow stuff is pollen. We are attacked by it during two weeks in April each year. It leaves a quarter inch-thick layer of yellow dust on everything until it finally rains. Then, instead of being washed away, all the stuff puddles (and splatters all over the girls' toys). It's torture for people like Bill who have seasonal allergies. I don't have allergies, but even I get stuffy.

- The good health of everyone in our family.

- Easter candy. We limit what the girls eat, but we don't have any limits for ourselves. Well, at least not until that diet starts.

- Planting flowers with the girls. They love "gar-ning." I took them to a local landscape center yesterday to pick out some flowers for a few containers we have on our porch. We had fun smelling the herbs and picking out their favorite color of flowers. Then we came home and planted them all. It was so funny to see them with their little shovels playing in the potting soil. I'm horrible about remembering to water my flowers, so it's good that they're so excited about doing it and remind me all the time.